The 2021 NBA Draft Lottery will look a little different from recent iterations.
For the first time since 2016, the Knicks will be absent from Tuesday’s event. While New York’s teams relish a reprieve from the suspense of pingpong balls and envelopes, 14 other franchises enter with plenty at stake. Each has a shot to land the first overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, with the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic owning a 14% chance of winning the top pick.
Oklahoma State’s Cade Cunningham is expected to go No. 1 overall, but there is a talent crop of players behind him, including USC’s Evan Mobley, Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs and Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga of the NBA G League’s Ignite. All have the potential to change a franchise’s trajectory. And the winner of Tuesday’s Lottery will be afforded the luxury of the first choice.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into the NBA Draft Lottery:
When is the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery?
Tuesday, June 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET
How can I watch the 2021 NBA Draft Lottery?
ESPN will air the live lottery results.
Fans looking to stream the Draft Lottery can subscribe to Hulu + Live Sports, YouTube TV, SlingTV, or through the WatchESPN app through their cable provider.
How does the Draft Lottery work?
Each of the 14 teams that did not qualify for the postseason are eligible to win the lottery. A team’s odds of winning are inversely proportional to its record, with the three worst teams — Houston, Detroit and Orlando — having the best odds at 14%. Meanwhile, Golden State, which missed the postseason despite a 39-33 record, has the worst odds of winning the lottery, at just 0.5%.
Fourteen pingpong balls numbered 1 through 14 are placed in a machine and mixed. Four pingpong balls are removed, creating a specific combination (there are 1,001 total combinations possible). Prior to the lottery, each team is assigned a list of combinations; the team matched to the combination drawn will receive the first overall pick. The process is then repeated for the second, third and fourth picks. The remaining picks are determined by record, ensuring that teams cannot fall more than five spots below their projected slot (i.e. Houston cannot finish worse than fifth).
What are each team’s odds of winning?
Houston Rockets – 14%
Detroit Pistons – 14%
Orlando Magic – 14%
Oklahoma City Thunder – 11.5%
Cleveland Cavaliers – 11.5%
x – Minnesota Timberwolves – 9%
Toronto Raptors – 7.5%
y = Chicago Bulls – 4.5%
Sacramento Kings – 4.5%
New Orleans Pelicans – 4.5%
Charlotte Hornets – 1.8%
San Antonio Spurs – 1.7%
Indiana Pacers – 1.0%
Golden State Warriors – 0.5%
x = This pick will be conveyed to Golden State, so long as it is outside the top three
y = This pick will be conveyed to Orlando, so long as it is outside the top four
How do picks 15-60 work?
Both the remainder of the first round (picks 15-30) and the entirety of the second round (31-60) are determined by reverse order of regular-season record.